I'd like to have a panel that is about 43" long and 12" wide fabricated from .062" (about 1.5 mm)6061 T6 aluminum, powder coated with filled engraved labels. Front Panel Designer won't allow anything thinner than 2.5 mm. Is this possible? Do I need to supply the material?

Front Panel Designer limits the size because of the way we hold the panel during the machining process.

This doesn't mean that we can't machine it. It depends on your design. If it is very complex we would need to use additional support in holding the part and would charge a setup fee. However, in most cases a simple modification is possible, free of charge.

All you need to do is to design it in 2.5mm and leave us a note in the box of 'Front Panel Properties' to change the thickness to 1.5mm. We will contact you prior to processing your order if additional charges apply.

Our aluminum alloy is 5005. We can special order 6061 for you if it is crucial for your application.

I have spent hours trying to create a simple aircraft instrument panel the top edge of which has a profile consisting of two arcs: one with a radius of about 120-150 inches in the center 2/3, merging with one on each end with a 8.5 in radius. When I make the large radius arc (using the curved slot tool), the center is at the bottom of the grid, and the arc is at the very top, and when I move the arc down, the panel rectangle moves all the way to the top of the grid field so I can no longer see the top of the panel. How can I move the arc without moving the panel? Or move the panel back near the center so I can work on it? Or is there some other way to do this? How do I specify the coordinates of the center of the arc.

I see that FPD allows for a hole with a 3/8" UNEF (3/8-32) thread to be cut into a panel. This is suitable for mounting potentiometers with no protruding threads or nut on the outside of the finished enclosure.

I often use C&K 7000-series miniature toggle switches. One mounting option for these switches has a 1/4-40 UNS thread (1/4", 40 thread per inch). I would like to be able to have a hole with a 1/4-40 UNS thread cut into a panel to allow the switch to be fitted with no external nut.

1/4-40 (and UNS for that matter) is not available as an option on the standard thread pull-down menus in the drill hole properties dialog box. However, I see that I can select "Manual thread parameters" and set diameter to 0.25" and the thread pitch to 0.025".

My question: Can a thread with this size and pitch be cut successfully by the milling process?

I apologize for the late response. You can certainly set the manual parameters to diameter 0.25" and pitch 0.025"

Front Panel Designer alerts you when you go too large with the pitch. It should do the same when you go too small but it doesn't. Thank you, you just helped me discovering a glitch in the software. However, a pitch of 0.025" works fine.

I would like to be able to export an image (bmp, jpg, etc.) of the panel. I would use this as a texture for my native CAD model so that it looks complete. Right now I use a screenshot or the windows snipping tool to acquire and save the image. Then I have to trim it. If we could export an image that is sized to the limits of the panel that would be excellent!